Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities Evidence and Narrative: Amazon.ca: Edward R. Tufte: Books

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29 Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable and Revealing Insights, July 30 2003

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loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities Evidence and Narrative (Hardcover)

Edward R. Tufte again raises the bar both on his scholarly treatment of how we portray visual information and on how books of value ought to me made.

His third book on information design, Visual Explanation: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative is, in his words, "about pictures of verbs, the representation of mechanism and motion, process and dynamics, causes and effects, explanation and narrative."

Within this book, Mr. Tufte first tackles tough, fundamental issues related to quantity, scale, and magnitude. Determining if a visual representation is honest or accurate may, at first, not seem a vital skill, but Mr. Tufte clearly shows how data and information can be distorted or manipulated and offers sharp observations to help one see more clearly what is presented.

He addresses methods of presenting and analyzing data, using the now classic medical investigative work of John Snow and the fatal flawed decision making that resulting in the Challenger tragedy, to build a steady, compelling argument that there are right and wrong ways to show data.

A chapter on magic and designing disinformation is full of anecdotes, examples, and illustrations about the how's and why's of masking content and diverting attention.

Perhaps my favorite chapter is The Smallest Effective Difference, a challenging but insightful primer on using subtle but effective visual distinctions to create compelling visual information.

The long chapter about visual parallelism treats a complex subject by offering a plethora of examples, all explained with a terse elegance. Students of typography will take a special interest in Mr. Tufte's treatment of letterforms.

How we use and react to multiple images and how to effectively use multiples to evoke repetition, change, pattern, and surprise form the basis of the next chapter. Mr. Tufte again reminds readers that good design must take into account how, when, and even where information will be used.

The final chapter covers what Mr. Tufte has termed visual confections, that is an assembly of myriad visual events to convey a story, make comparisons, merge the real and imaginary. Digital artists should switch off their Macintosh computers until they have studied carefully this chapter, replete with superb illustrations and laser-intense commentary.

Mr. Tufte self-publishes his books because no commercial press would indulge his demands for perfection. His books are wonderful not just because of the information he presents but also because they represent the craft of bookmaking. The printing, binding, the acid-free paper, inks, the arrangement of words and images---these books are to treasure when so much is disposable and fleeting.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very worthwhile and readible book for peaceful times, April 22 2003

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ws__ (Hamburg, Germany) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities Evidence and Narrative (Hardcover)

Very worthwhile and readible book for peaceful times. This is now the third and last of Tuftes trilogy of design books I read and I still love to read them. I love the enspirement. It needs a peaceful pace and as the author states "it pays you back". I learned a lot, I will read it again in a couple of years, and I Want another one of his books.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good overall but not very contemporary, Jan 2 2003

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Tom Anderson (Stamford, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities Evidence and Narrative (Hardcover)

Good overall but not very contemporary

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